Xact Restorations LLC

As the work proceeded, Mr. Ruth presented invoices at intervals and each was promptly paid in full. The last work was completed in October 2016 but Mr. Ruth did not provide a final invoice. We contacted him five times (four documented e-mails/texts and one phone call) in January and February of 2017 to request his final invoice. Apart from one reply indicating the paperwork would be available soon, there were no other responses. During this time our property was placed on the market, an offer was accepted and a closing date was set for mid-March. On the morning of the closing we received an e-mail from Mr. Ruth shortly after the signing had been completed. This e-mail provided the final invoice we’d requested and notification of a materialman’s lien Mr. Ruth intended to file against our property if we didn’t pay his bill in full by an early afternoon deadline. Over the course of a long series of e-mails during the day, Mr. Ruth tried to incorporate the cost of filing the lien ($500) and his attorney costs into our total, threatened to increase the invoice amount by several thousand dollars for “additional work” he hadn’t previously included and later demanded a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to prevent us from “disparaging” him and his company. When asked why he was filing a lien instead of simply providing the final invoice we'd repeatedly requested, Mr. Ruth wrote that he “didn’t like our attitude and disposition” over the past few months. We made contact with our lawyer at that point and set up an escrow to pay the invoice from our proceeds so the closing could complete. Mr. Ruth reiterated his threat to increase our invoice total over the ensuing days and occasionally returned to the NDA after we told him via our attorney there would be no such agreement. One week later this matter was still not resolved, so we terminated the relationship with our lawyer and hired new counsel. On the same day we received notice from Mr. Ruth’s lawyer indicating that he was now being represented. Our new attorney addressed this situation quickly and decisively, and within three days arrangements were made for us to pay only the original amount on the invoice from the escrow. Mr. Ruth was also advised that we no longer owed him money and any future attempts to charge us for the “additional work” would result in a deeper investigation of his business practices.

I never tell anyone who to hire. That is always the choice of the individual. I just share my experience. I was looking to hire Mr. Ruth to help me after a flood destroyed a good part of my home. After hearing far too many discrepancies in Mr. Ruth's rough quotes, and his constant push to up sell me, I decided not to hire him. Knowing that I had no knowledge of the remodeling/insurance process, Mr. Ruth coerced me into allowing him to buy paint even before I received the insurance checks. But I did know enough not to give him a paint deposit. When I said that I would just buy the paint myself after a contract is agreed upon, he pushed me to have him buy it early. He said it would save me money because I would get the sales event pricing for that month plus his contractor's discount. After I told him I was going to use someone else, I offered to buy the paint back from him in good faith. He sent me an invoice for almost double what he would have paid for the paint. (I actually had to contact the paint store to get the information because Mr. Ruth refused to let me see the original invoices. ) He didn't include the sales event pricing or his discount he first offered me, and it seemed to include labor that was not performed. Due to Mr. Ruth getting his attorney involved right away, I was forced to seek legal counsel. Per an attorney's suggestion, I sent Mr. Ruth an offer and acceptance letter with a check for an amount closer to the actual sales pricing of the paint. In good faith, I waived his discount, and even added some labor. In that letter, again per the attorney's suggestion, I made sure that it CLEARLY stated that if he accepted the check that he would be releasing me from all civil claims and disputes. This would have been an easy and quick way to settle the whole dispute. Mr. Ruth deposited my check almost immediately. After that I received notification that Mr. Ruth had placed a lien on my home for remodeling work that he claims that he had done, and for materials that he used to remodel my home. No remodeling work has ever been done to my home by Mr. Ruth. My home is still in the same state that it was over a year ago. The only material provided was the paint that I had paid for before the lien was placed. When I reached out to his attorney to remind him of the agreement made when his client deposited my check, I then received an email that included a version of the offer and acceptance letter legal document that had been altered to favor Mr. Ruth. The section that mentioned releasing me from civil claims and disputes, which was the main purpose of the letter, had been removed. That letter also served as a paint guarantee, which is now null and void due to the alteration of the letter. So Mr. Ruth took my money in bad faith, placed a false lien on my home, and he still has the paint. He also refused to add things to a contract such as a start and finish date. After I did more research I realized that consumer watchdog groups strongly suggest that you should get a start and finish date on a contract, and also a plan on the contract if that finish date should not be met. Mr. Ruth refused to add anything stating that contractors don't give finish dates. I have been dealing with this issue going on 9 months now. I provided a lot of proof to Mr. Ruth's attorney showing how the letter had been altered, including proof of it written on and printed from a friend's computer, an affidavit from that friend stating that they saw me type it and that they proofread it, and an affidavit from the attorney that suggested the offer and acceptance letter. Mr. Ruth's attorney responded saying that Mr. Ruth refuses to remove the lien...unless I agree to "fully and completely waive and release any and all claims against Mr. Ruth and/or his company and keep everything regarding this dispute and agreement confidential". So if I agree to let him have my money, and then also keep quiet about all that he's done, they will remove a lien that was placed against my home using false information. I just think people need to be very aware of how this company, and its owner, does business.